EMPTY CHURCHES.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17841, 14 October 1929, Page 6

EMPTY CHURCHES.

IS THE JIBE JUSTIFIED ? AN OUTSPOKEN ADDRESS. At St. Andrew’s Church, Hamilton, last evening, Rev. H. G. Gilbert, speaking from the text (Moffitt's Translation) : “Let not your zeal flag; maintain your spiritual fervours; serve God,’’ incidentally referred to the controversy, which lias recently occupied a prominent position in the press, on empty churches. He did not conc.-l that the churches were empty, but maintained that where the Old Gospel truths were fully and faithfully proclaim there was no lack of hearers. He emphasised the need for enthusiasm in the proclamation of the Gospel, which was a message of love. Wherd there was no love there could be no Christianity, for love was the motive force. “Whom do we Love, or what?” asked the preacher; “Was their affection centred on a personality or a form, or creed? lie knew orthodox Churchpeople who had none of the glow of Christianity. They laid much stress upon the faith of their fathers, their creeds, and their confessions of faith, but love for their fellows, and even their own kin,-was often apparently sadly lacking. Christianity, to be effective, must be centred on the personality of Christ. It was well to have a love for their church, but that was not enough. They had heard much of late about Church Union, and would hear much more on the same theme in the near future. Churches, however, could not be hammered together like cold steel; effective union could only be accomplished by all drawing closer to Christ and flowing together in a stream of warm affection. They need have no fear about empty churches if the keynote of the Gospel was faithfully sounded.